PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Member of Parliament Egbert J. Doran is calling for the fair and immediate resolution of the ongoing payment dispute involving Fleming Waste Solutions, stating that while Government should always work toward stronger administrative structures and formalized contracts, contractors who carry out essential services for the country should not remain unpaid after work has already been executed, verified, and accepted. Doran said the recent public discussion surrounding the matter requires additional context, particularly as attention now appears to be shifting toward assigning blame instead of resolving the issue responsibly. “Let us be realistic about how Government operations…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Member of Parliament Francisco A. Lacroes has formallyrequested Government to provide a comprehensive assessment of Sint Maarten’s pension system,raising growing concerns about whether many pensioners are still able to meet the basic cost ofliving after retirement.In a letter submitted to the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, MPLacroes requested detailed financial, actuarial, demographic, and legal information related toboth the pension structure administered through Social & Health Insurances SZV and thecontributory pension system managed by Algemeen Pensioenfonds Sint Maarten.According to MP Lacroes, the request is not about attacking the current system, but abouthonestly assessing and…
St. Maartener Maisha I.V. Marlin Graduates from Georgia State University with Business Administration Degree Atlanta, Georgia — St. Maartener Maisha I.V. Marlin has proudly graduated from Georgia State University, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Business Law in May 2026. Marlin completed her degree over a five-year period, from August 2021 to May 2026. During her time at Georgia State University, she demonstrated dedication both inside and outside the classroom. She earned Dean’s List honors twice while also serving as a member of the GSU Spirit Team’s Pantherettes Dance Team, representing the university with pride, discipline,…
By Hilbert Haar One thing is for sure: Rolando Brison is not fit to function as a worthy representative of the people. The Court in First Instance sentenced him to 6 months in prison for accepting bribes from businessman Alex Dijkhoffz. For the next five years he is banned from holding a job as a civil servant or to be elected. In other words: his political career is dead as a doornail. Brison is obviously not the only bad guy in this depressing story. As the good people of Transparency International like to say: it takes two to tango. In…
PHILIPSBURG – The Court in first Instance has sentenced former parliamentarian Rolando Brison to an unconditional prison sentence of six months for accepting bribes from businessman Alex Dijkhoffz. The public prosecutor also accused Brison of taking bribes from Robbie dos Santos and from Sunil Gehani, but the court acquitted Brison of these charges for lack of evidence. The prosecution demanded a 24-month prison sentence, but the court handed down a lower sentence because there was no proof for all of the allegations. The court banned Brison for five years from holding a job as a civil servant and it also…
By Hilbert Haar Wow! No royal decorations this year for St. Maarteners. Not a single one. What happened? A lack of suitable candidates? Did we simply miss the deadline for submissions? I have no idea but I could think of a few excellent nominees like Binkie van Es, Tadzio Bervoets and Melanie Choisy. These people would have been my favorites but maybe they already have such a decoration. Who knows? I have studied the process our RODAC, the Royal Decoration Advisory Committee, has to go through and I discovered that there are actually deadlines. Anyone who has kept an eye…
As IAM constantly bringing about Public Information and Awareness to the People of Sint Maarten/ Saint Martin, I thought that it would be very timely to share this much needed information to the People of this Nation, referrimg specifically to this Annaul Royal Ceremony. All that I normally do is search and research information that should be readily available to our People. I have continuously kept saying that we need to understand the make up and culture of our People, with the facts and realities that normally most of our population will not search online to gather much needed information…
Dear Editor, Two stories circulating recently in the local media deserve to be read together. The first: Sunresorts Ltd. N.V. is asking the Court of First Instance to declare its ownership in Mullet Bay as extending all the way to the coastline. The second: the Nature Foundation St. Maarten has again sounded the alarm over accelerating development activity around Mullet Bay, Beacon Hill, and Little Bay. Side by side, they raise a question that goes well beyond any single court case — who does this island actually belong to? The Nature Foundation has been raising these concerns consistently and with…
A regional initiative led by the Coral Restoration Consortium is underway to develop a Caribbean Coral Emergency Response Plan, aimed at improving how the region prepares for and responds to coral reef emergencies. The work is being led for the Caribbean by Tadzio Bervoets of Sint Maarten, who is serving as the regional researcher supporting the development of the plan. The project brings together partners including CORDAP and the KAUST Coral Reef Initiative. Coral reefs across the Caribbean are under serious pressure. Rising ocean temperatures are causing frequent bleaching events, while disease outbreaks continue to damage coral populations. Hurricanes, ship…
The case now before the Court of First Instance between Sunresorts Ltd. N.V. and the Government of Sint Maarten goes to the very core of what it means to live on an island surrounded by sea. At stake is not just a stretch of sand at Mullet Bay, but a fundamental question: can any private entity claim ownership over our beaches? Sunresorts argues that as owner of adjacent lands, its property extends all the way to the coastline. Based on that claim, the company is asking the Court to declare that government has acted unlawfully by issuing permits and allowing third…
